Spooked
by Yondaime Namikaze
Summary: Hanson Harrison Haddock III "Hiccup" makes an interesting discovery regarding his girlfriend, Astrid Hofferson, during an amusement park date. *One-shot series about Hiccup's and Astrid's day at the amusement park; told out of order-a chronology for this series is now posted on my profile page*
1. Spooked

**A couple weeks ago, I spent an afternoon at an amusement park and while I was there, inspiration struck. That is how "Spooked" came to be. I actually have a few other one-shots that this day inspired. Let me know if you want to read them. I can promise that you wouldn't regret asking for them!**

**Ah, that reminds me. In this story, Hanson Harrison Haddock III "Hiccup" and Astrid Hofferson are both twenty—so appearance-wise, they look like their counterparts from the second movie…just with more modern-day clothing (which I might describe in this one-shot—depends how the flow of the story goes).**

* * *

Spooked

Hiccup's planned amusement park date with his girlfriend Astrid Hofferson had gone perfectly so far. They were having a wonderful time and it had been well worth the two-hour drive from Berk to Raven Pointe. Though there was rain in the forecast, the sky had yet to unleash its wet torrent upon the park.

It was approaching dinnertime, but neither Hiccup nor Astrid thought about their hunger; they were having too much fun to stop just yet. Already in just the span of one day, they had the opportunity for a free ride (which was rare in a pay-as-you-ride amusement park) on one of the wooden roller coasters, been scared shitless on a plunge-like ride, and even gotten mildly wet on the park's "log jam" flume ride (much to Astrid's dismay—which had caused Hiccup some pain…and the formation of a nasty bruise on his right arm).

In the back of the amusement park, almost hidden by the nearby vendors and flashy rides, stood an attraction that was designed to look like a house. Painted yellow in color with a ticket booth gazebo out front, the park's infamous "Haunted House" stood waiting…and Hiccup was ready. Gripping Astrid's hand, Hiccup raced toward the almost-empty line. "Come on, Astrid. I want to ride this one now!"

"Are you sure, Hiccup? We could always stop for dinner and ride this later."

Hiccup smiled as they approached the end of the waiting line. "You're not scared, are you, Astrid?" he teased his girlfriend.

"No, of course not!" Astrid scoffed. "I'm just trying to see some reason here. It's getting late and we do need to eat dinner."

"Well, dinner can wait. Besides, we're almost there!"

The ride featured a continuous flow of cars so there was little wait time, much to Hiccup's satisfaction. Not that there had been much wait time for any of the rides today, though; most guests had probably stayed away because of the weather forecast.

When it was their turn to board, Hiccup and Astrid handed the ride attendant their tickets and climbed into their car. Looking over, Hiccup thought he saw Astrid shaking slightly, but he figured it was just from cold. The temperature had cooled off a little as night approached. Besides, Astrid Hofferson was fearless. Hiccup knew that she would love this ride. "Just remember, if you get scared, I'm right here, Astrid. I'll protect you," he teased again with a laugh. In reply, Astrid simply punched his arm. "Hey!" he told her. "You already punched that arm. I think you hurt the bruise that's there from earlier!"

"Oh, there'll be a lot worse than a bruise there if you tease me one more time about being scared, Hanson!" she told him, drawing out his real first name to its full syllable length.

There was no more time to talk as the slow-moving ride began. The car followed along its track, bumping open the doors to the house and plunging Hiccup and Astrid into total darkness. Before the attraction began, the car passed through another set of doors, bumping them open again and Hiccup felt Astrid jump at the sound. He dismissed the thought though. _**Maybe the car is off-balance?**_

The car passed through room after room, showing the attraction's wide array of spooks and terrors to Hiccup and Astrid. Hiccup smiled at the sights and memories. This attraction hadn't scared him since he was ten and it had become one of his most favorite rides at the park. He loved the musty smell combined with the scent of the oil of the tracks. Throughout the ride though, he kept feeling the shifting. _**There's no way that Astrid is scared of this. She's Astrid Hofferson, Fearless Astrid Hofferson. A little old spookhouse wouldn't scare her!**_

Toward the end of the ride, around a bend, was the truck. The truck had one light and a loud blaring horn sounded as the car approached, the light startling riders out of darkness. Hiccup was ready for it. He knew it was always placed at the end. It used to be at the very end, mounted onto the last set of doors and that would scare the living daylights out of young Hanson Haddock. Sometime over the years, the ride operators had moved it. Now it was less scary, but he'd have a hard time telling that to Astrid. As the car approached and the horn sounded and the light shone down on them, Hiccup's laughter could not drown out a very un-Astrid-like scream.

What was even more startling was her muttering afterwards. "I'm done. I'm so done. Just get me off of this thing!"

Hiccup did not know whether to comfort Astrid or not. Would she get defensive? Surely he was not meant to have heard the muttering. Still, he decided he would rather be in pain than be branded as a bad boyfriend for not attempting to calm his girlfriend. Gripping her hand lightly (which was a little hard in the darkness), he whispered, "It's okay, Milady. The ride's almost over."

Sure enough, one bend in the track later and the car bumped open the final set of doors, releasing the light of day upon Hiccup and Astrid. When the car stopped, Hiccup stepped out first, carefully placing his right foot and left prosthetic foot on the ground to steady his balance. Though he had walked with the prosthetic for five years now, he still found that he had to be careful lest he wanted to take a tumble in public…which was very embarrassing, even for him. Once he was safely out of the car, Hiccup offered a hand to Astrid to help her out.

Another ride attendant sat nearby, making sure all riders exited safely. As he passed the attendant, Hiccup told the older man, "Great ride. She loved it," as he gestured to Astrid next to him. His girlfriend said nothing, but did make sure to deliver yet another punch to his already-abused arm. "Why is it always violence with you?" he asked as they walked away from the Haunted House. Hiccup knew already that he was going to have to figure out an explanation for the nasty bruise that had surely formed…and was probably still continuing to form on his arm.

Once they had walked a short distance away from the Haunted House, Hiccup turned to Astrid. "Huh…who would've thought that 'Fearless Astrid Hofferson' is scared of haunted houses?" he joked.

"I…I just don't like things crawling on me…in the dark," Astrid tried to justify, but Hiccup wasn't buying it and he knew that she knew. "Okay, so I'm scared…a little, but this secret dies with us, Hanson Harrison Haddock III!" she warned, poking his chest sharply for emphasis.

Hiccup knew better to argue…especially since Astrid had used his full name. She only used it when she was upset with him and he knew it. Usually, she just called him by his nickname "Hiccup". Yes, Astrid was very serious about this, so Hiccup already knew the reply he needed to say. "Secret's safe with me, Astrid."

* * *

**Probably should've mentioned this before, but "Spooked" actually takes place in the middle of the other one-shots that I mentioned in the opening AN. That's why there's little backstory and such. **

**Want to read the other one-shots? Let me know! I'll gladly write them up for you!**

**Posted: August 3, 2014**


	2. Wooden Coaster

**I'm back with another one-shot…so you can guess that I decided to post up the others that I'd come up with about Hiccup's and Astrid's day at the amusement park. Thanks for all the positive feedback about Spooked! Although, I probably would've posted the other one-shots even if you all said not to because I'm a rebel like that. Haha! **

**As for Hiccup's prosthetic, since it comes up a bit more in this one-shot, I envision it as very similar to the one in the moves/TV series but more modern-day (obviously). It starts at about his mid-calf (even though it is referenced here as a "prosthetic foot". There is a backstory to it, but that is actually revealed in the prologue which has not yet been written/posted.**

**One last thing before the one-shot begins. Since I've kinda started posting these out of order, I will be posting up the chronology (hopefully soon!) on my profile. This one-shot takes us back to the start of Hiccup's and Astrid's day! Hope you all enjoy this one as much as you liked Spooked!**

* * *

Wooden Coaster

With tickets in hand and a full day ahead of them, Hiccup led the way deeper into the amusement park. He knew exactly what ride he wanted to start the day with and he knew that Astrid would approve. Though he was excited, Hiccup had to be careful walking in places where there was gravel as the loose stones would cause his prosthetic foot to slip and that was not how he wanted to start the day.

Up ahead, Hiccup could see his destination, its wooden tracks standing tall. Hiccup loved the wooden roller coaster at this amusement park. The height of the tracks had always made him feel small when he would stare up at them. When he was younger and more visitors frequented the park, little Hanson Haddock would wait in line and watch the coasters fly by. He would smell the oil on the chains pulling each train up the highest incline. Because Hanson had always been small, when he would ride the coaster, his father, Stanton Haddock, would have to hold him down as the lap restraints did little to hold the small boy in his seat as the coaster would fly along its track. Yes, this particular ride held many great memories already and Hiccup was ready to make more along with Astrid beside him.

"Well, Milady, here we are. It's a tradition to begin the day with this particular roller coaster. So…ready to get this 100% stress-free weekday of fun started?!"

Hiccup waited for his girlfriend's reply, but he did not miss the way her eyes drifted down to his prosthetic foot, the metal attached to his lower leg gleaming in the late morning sunlight. "As long as you feel up to it, Hiccup," Astrid replied.

"Of course I'm ready! I already said that I'm not going to let the old metal leg stop me from having a great time with you today! Now, come on, let's go! I want the front seat! That's a tradition too!" Hiccup raced toward the line for the coaster, but he thought about the sadness he had just heard in Astrid's voice. He did not understand why she was sad about his prosthetic. It hadn't been her fault that he had lost his left foot and lower leg. Well, he wasn't going to worry about that right now. Today was about stress-free fun.

Counting out the required number of tickets, Hiccup slid them to the ride attendant who promptly slid them back. Hiccup was confused. Why wasn't the man taking the tickets?

"We're not taking tickets at the moment. Marketing is filming a commercial right now and they want a filled coaster in the background. Until they finish the commercial, rides on this coaster are free."

Hiccup turned back to Astrid. "Hear that? Come on! Let's go!" he told her, as he pocketed his returned tickets. Gripping Astrid's hand, he pulled her up the ramp to the ride platform. Up on the platform, Hiccup led Astrid to the line for the front seat. They were content to wait, but the ride attendants asked them to board immediately in one of the empty sets of seats. The attendants, as they told Hiccup and Astrid, had been instructed to hold the coaster until it was mostly-filled. Shrugging, Hiccup obliged and him and Astrid found an open seat. "If we make it into this commercial, then it's worth breaking tradition…this time," he reasoned.

Entering the seat first, Hiccup sat on the left side of the coaster and Astrid took her seat on the right side. When they were situated, they both pulled down on the lap restraint, locking it into place. As the ride attendants were still waiting for a few more riders, Hiccup and Astrid had some time to talk and reflect on their decision to start with this ride.

"I know how these types of rides go, Hiccup. You'd better be careful or you'll fly right out of it!" Astrid laughed, blatantly mocking Hiccup's lack of weight.

"Come on, Astrid. I'm not that small anymore!" He knew that he would come to regret telling Astrid that story from the days of his boyhood.

"Oh sure…" Astrid replied, still mocking Hiccup. "You still look like a talking fishbone to me," she laughed.

Hiccup huffed, but he knew that Astrid knew that he wasn't really upset. He could never be upset with her. "Thank you…for summing that up."

"But that's one of the reasons why I love you, Babe. You know that, right?" Still she laughed and Hiccup relished in the sound. It used to be so hard to make serious and fierce Astrid Hofferson laugh, but now it came so easily.

"You bet I do," he replied with a smile.

Before Hiccup and Astrid could continue their conversation, the ride attendant's voice played over the station intercom, warning all passengers to secure all loose items and keep hands and feet inside the coaster at all times throughout the ride.

"Is your metal leg secured, Hiccup?" Astrid teased.

"As secured as it's gonna get, Milady."

The final address from the ride attendants to the passengers onboard the coaster was to "look happy, scream, and put your hands in the air".

The coaster lurched forward as the ride began. Hiccup braced his excitement as the coaster ascended the initial incline. It was as the coaster crested at the top of the incline, though, that Hiccup missed sitting in the front seat. Even as a boy, he enjoyed looked down at the descending track and feeling the rush through his hair as the coaster would speed down the tracks.

As the front of the coaster began its descent, picking up speed, Hiccup and Astrid both threw up their hands, screaming in genuine excitement. The coaster flew along the track and as the hills increased toward the end, Hiccup found that he still would fly up out of his seat. _**Guess I'm still too small for these lap restraints.**_ His thoughts were pushed from his mind quickly, though. It mattered not that the ride always brought him to a semi-standing position as long as he remained safely inside the coaster.

All too soon, the ride was ending and the coaster pulled back into the station. Once the lap restraints were released, Hiccup immediately climbed out of the coaster and raced down the exit rap. He could hear Astrid calling after him, but he had one mission. When Astrid finally did catch up to Hiccup, she asked him why he had taken off so suddenly. "I want to see if we can get one more ride on here while it's still free," he told her.

Together, they ran back to the entrance. Unfortunately, they quickly learned that the filming had finished and free rides on the coaster were no longer an option, so Hiccup and Astrid opted instead to go find another ride.

Standing in front of the roller coaster, Hiccup and Astrid looked at the park map to assess their options. While looking at the park map, Astrid laughed slightly and told Hiccup, "I was right. I noticed you flying up out of your seat. Good thing I told you to brace yourself for that," she finished, taking yet another opportunity to tease her boyfriend.

Thinking quickly, Hiccup smirked and replied, "I knew that restraint wasn't going to hold me. It couldn't handle all this…awesomeness," he told Astrid, gesturing to all of him.

Lightly punching Hiccup's shoulder, Astrid smiled slightly, trying her best to hide the expression from her boyfriend. "Oh sure…you keep telling yourself that, Babe. Now, are we just going to stand here all day or we actually going to do something?"

Folding the map up again, Hiccup shoved it back into one of the pockets of his tan-colored cargo shorts. "Excellent question, Milady! Come on, follow me. I just found something great to ride next!"

* * *

**Some exclusive extra notes: This chapter combines experiences from both of the roller coasters I rode at the amusement park. It's my family's tradition to ride the front seat and on the other coaster, we got a free ride because they were filming a commercial for the park. If I make it in the commercial, I'll let you know…and I'll remember you all when I'm famous. Haha. **

**I'm going to leave this story listed as "complete" for now. I know that I will post all the one-shots for you all, but this "story" does not have chapters. Each "chapter" is complete, but they all relate to this single day. You get what I mean? … Me neither. Oh well…I tried. Haha.**

**Thanks for reading and the next one-shot will be posted soon!**

**Posted: August 6, 2014**


	3. The Plunge

**Gods…it's been forever. I'm sorry! I hope this next ride/story makes up for it. This one is going to be fun; I'll tell you all that right now. I'm super excited to write about this one. **

**Oh, yeah…this one-shot series will highlight some of the more interesting rides that I envision occurring during Hiccup's and Astrid's day. It would be pointless and boring to recall all of them, so the ones that make the cut and secure a spot in this story are ones with funny or interesting tales to tell.**

* * *

The Plunge

Hiccup led Astrid to the ride he had found on the map. It was located near the wooden coaster so they did not have to walk far to find it. This ride was new to the park and Hiccup was looking forward to riding it. He knew that Astrid would love it too.

Weeks before arranging this amusement park date, Hiccup had done some researching on his laptop. Though he had been to this park often as a kid, he had never driven out to Raven Pointe, so he had opened the amusement park's official website to search for driving directions. While on the site, Hiccup had found an embedded YouTube video. The video showed a test run of the park's new ride for promotional purposes. Intrigued, Hiccup had watched it. As the video ended, Hiccup promised himself that he would find that ride and ride it with Astrid during their trip.

The ride, a tower taller than even the highest hill of the oldest wooden coaster (the only wooden coaster—which they had just ridden) stood waiting. On the ground, the seats sat, harnesses raised, waiting for the next victi…uh, riders to board.

Noticing, Hiccup picked up his pace. "Come on, Astrid! If we hurry, we'll be able to get on this time!"

"Are you sure that you don't want to just watch it one time?" Astrid wondered, taking Hiccup's hand so that she could keep up with his quickening pace.

Hiccup had already watched it one time, but he wasn't about to tell Astrid that. "Nope! Let's go!"

Handing Astrid the required amount of tickets for the ride, Hiccup supplied himself with enough for him to ride as well and together they boarded, passing the tickets off to the ride attendant on their way to the seats. Hiccup found two open seats side-by-side and he claimed them for himself and Astrid. The seats faced away from the wooden roller coaster, away from the majority of the other rides in the amusement park.

Pulling his harness down, Hiccup fastened it in place with the provided belt buckle. He took a quick glance over at Astrid and saw her doing the same. Hiccup could barely contain his excitement. He could not wait to see Astrid's face when…

"Hiccup?"

The boy snapped from his thoughts as he heard Astrid's voice saying his nickname. "Yeah, Astrid?"

"Do you want a picture?" she asked.

This question confused Hiccup as he had not brought a camera with him and neither had Astrid. Neither could reach their phones with the harnesses clasping their bodies in place and the harnesses would've definitely altered the quality of the picture. As he was mulling this over, Hiccup noticed an amusement park employee with a camera standing outside the ride area. She must've asked Astrid if they would like to have their picture taken.

"Sure. Let's do it," he replied after thinking briefly on the question.

"I'm going to take a 'before' and an 'after' picture. This is the before. How about giving a thumbs-up for me?" The woman with the camera told the couple.

Hiccup and Astrid both threw up a thumbs-up, the traditional hand-sign for "It's all good" and both gave wide smiles for the camera. The woman snapped the picture as the seats began to rise. The ride was starting.

Neither Hiccup nor Astrid spoke. They just waited as the ride pulled them further and further from the ground. As they climbed higher and higher, Hiccup started to guess how close they were to the top of the tower. Having watched the promotional video, he knew exactly what would happen once they hit the top and he tried his hardest to brace himself. Even when Hiccup was confident that they had hit the top, they still continued to climb. How far from the top were they?

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, Hiccup. Why did I ever opt to ride this with you?" Astrid asked him and Hiccup heard her over the sound of the hydraulics that continued to raise them higher.

"Nonsense, Astrid. This'll be great. Just you wait!"

Almost immediately after Hiccup finished his reply, the seats plummeted without warning. Hiccup never even had the opportunity to hear Astrid's scream; his own covered hers. How strange it was that even though he knew what was coming, he still had been unprepared when it actually happened.

As the ride touched back down, the photographer from before took Hiccup's and Astrid's picture again before they could even register what had just happened. The harnesses loosened and, with shaking hands, Hiccup unbuckled the belt and raised the harness.

Touching his feet back down to the ground, Hiccup helped Astrid down from her seat. Together they exited the ride area. Once they had both exited the ride area, Astrid took one look at Hiccup and burst out laughing. Hiccup threw her a questioning look, wondering briefly if she had lost her sanity on that last ride. All Astrid said in return was a gasping "Babe…your hair…" between laughs.

Pulling out his cell phone, Hiccup used the blank screen as a makeshift mirror. He almost laughed too when he saw his reflection. His shaggy brown hair (which he had been telling himself to cut for a while now) was sticking up in various directions. Hiccup ran his fingers through his messy hair in an almost vain attempt to fix it back to its usual state. Astrid continued to laugh at his feeble attempts and he playfully glared at her in return. "Don't laugh! Your hair would look worse than mine does now if you didn't have it braided so…elaborately," he told her, gesturing to the side-braid she had positioned over her shoulder.

"Whose fault's that? You won't let me braid yours!" Astrid replied, still doubled over with laughter.

"Real men don't wear braids, Astrid!" Finally giving up, Hiccup slipped his phone back into his pocket. This was the best he was going to do with his hair. Hopefully it would settle back down to its normal position as the day continued. "So…ready for lunch?"

* * *

**The ride that this story is based on is so much fun! Seriously! If you want to know more about the YouTube video (it exists, apparently!), let me know and I'll find it and tell you how to find it. Oh, that's right. YouTube is referenced in this story. I don't own that…and I wouldn't want to. I don't like YouTube anymore.**

**On my profile, under the story information section, I have posted the chronology for these one-shots. I have omitted titles that have not yet been published. The titles will appear as the stories are posted.**

**I hope that you enjoyed this one-shot and the next one should be posted soon!**

**Posted: August 17, 2014**


	4. Tilt-A-Hurl

**This time it really has been forever! Well, when summer ended, I kinda (regretfully) felt less inclined to write a story about an amusement park. However, now, in the depths of winter (and tonight's wind chills reaching down to as low as -20 degress Fahrenheit), I could use a little reminder of summer. How about you?**

* * *

Tilt-A-Hurl

One of the things Hiccup loved most about this particular amusement park now that he was older (other than the free parking) was the free admission "pay-as-you-ride" option. Outside the park stood several picnic pavilions where families would opt to eat their meals during their day at the amusement park. Hiccup's family had always done this and he enjoyed continuing the tradition with Astrid.

Earlier in the day, Hiccup and Astrid had eaten lunch at the pavilion. Lunch today was sandwiches from Subway (which they had picked up on the ride to the park and kept in a cooler surrounded by Blue Ice) and homemade pasta salad, a recipe that Hiccup had learned from his own father. At lunch, they had eaten half and stored the other half for dinner.

On the way to the park entrance, Astrid found a ride that she wanted to ride. "We're here already anyway, Babe. We might as well ride it now." That was her excuse. Though Hiccup was hungry and was really just ready for dinner, he consented that "one more ride couldn't hurt."

Hiccup counted out their tickets as they waited in the short line. Astrid had chosen the Tilt-A-Whirl. _**Wouldn't have been my chose to ride before eating dinner, but I'd definitely rather ride this now than after we eat.**_

The wait line was short and it wasn't long before Hiccup and Astrid handed their tickets to the ride attendant and took a seat in out of the open cars. Together they pulled down the safety bar. When all the cars were filled and the riders had all secured their safety bars, the attendant pushed the green button to start the ride.

The ride started off slowly but gradually picked up speed. Astrid screamed in delight as the ride glided up and down, spinning with each circuit around the track. Looking over at his girlfriend, Hiccup smiled at her excitement.

"There's not enough weight in our car! It's too light!" Astrid screamed to Hiccup, her voice softly audible over the sound of rushing air.

"What?" Hiccup asked, slightly confused by Astrid's seemingly-random comment.

"This car would spin so much faster if it had more weight in it!" Astrid yelled again over the wind. "See look at that one!"

Hiccup followed the direction in which Astrid was pointing and saw one car whirling around much faster than all the rest. Looking closer, Hiccup saw four teenagers, kids not much younger than him and Astrid, packed into the seat. "Isn't that a safety hazard?" Hiccup asked, raising his voice to be heard over the wind.

"Who cares? It looks like fun!"

The wait line for the Tilt-A-Whirl had decreased in size. Since there were very few people waiting to ride next, the ride attendant decided to give the current rotation of riders a double ride—a full five minute ride aboard the Tilt-A-Whirl.

As the minutes passed, Hiccup found himself first growing dizzy (but that was normal). _**It's going to take me several minutes to walk straight again once I get off this ride**_, he knew. However, after yet another minute, Hiccup was beginning to wonder when the ride would finally stop. He was developing a serious headache and his stomach felt twisted and knotted from all the tilting and the whirling. Hiccup tried closing his eyes but this only brought slight relief.

When the ride finally did end, Hiccup helped Astrid raise the safety bar and he, as quickly as he could with his prosthetic leg, exited the car and tried his best to walk quickly to the exit. He felt drunk and hungover at the same time. Not that he would know since he was still too young to…okay, maybe he'd gone to a party at an off-campus location one time…but he'd learned his lesson after that.

"Hiccup?" he heard Astrid ask.

Hiccup did not respond. He was too concerned with finding a bench to sit on until he felt a little better. Luckily, there was a bench situated right across from the Tilt-A-Whirl. _**Guess I'm not the only one who's ever needed this bench after riding that ride**_, Hiccup decided. Taking a seat, Hiccup cradled his head in his hands, his eyes closed for awhile. He felt Astrid sit down beside him, but Hiccup said nothing; he didn't trust himself to speak just yet. Minutes passed, but Hiccup did not move. If he moved too much, he would probably throw up.

Astrid rubbed soft circles into his back. "Are you okay, Hiccup?" she asked, concerned for her boyfriend.

Still not yet trusting himself to speak, Hiccup shook his head gently. Too much movement and the slight progress he had made toward feeling better would be gone instantly. Hiccup did open his eyes now, but continued to stare down at the gravel under his feet…well, foot.

"I'm so sorry, Hiccup," Astrid apologized. "I didn't know the Tilt-A-Whirl would make you sick!"

_**Me either**_, Hiccup wanted to say, but the moment he opened his mouth to speak, he had to shut it immediately for fear that it would be more than just words that would come out if he tried to speak.

Minutes passed and Hiccup started to feel a bit better. _**No more crazy rides for a little while.**_ He also made a mental note to not ride the Tilt-A-Whirl either right before or right after eating. When Hiccup felt better enough, he raised his head from his hands and breathed slowly in and out.

Taking it slow, Hiccup stood up from the bench. His legs wobbled and his stomach still felt a bit queasy, but he figured that he could make it the short walk back to his car.

"Are you sure you're ready, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him, standing, concern evident in her voice.

Nodding in reply, Hiccup began to walk slowly toward the front of the park. "Yeah…let's just go eat." He was certain that a little food would help him to feel much better again. Then, he and Astrid could continue to enjoy their day. At least, he hoped so…because he had some really fun rides planned for later on that evening.

* * *

**So…timeline-wise, this story immediately follows Spooked (see "chapter" 1). This chapter is based slightly on a true story. I don't fully remember how it went down that night, but I did get pretty sick after an extended ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. Like Hiccup, I didn't exactly throw up, but I did need to take a seat for several minutes…and then try to eat lunch or dinner (can't remember which) afterwards. **

**Anyway, again, I apologize for the long wait between updates, but I hope it was still enjoyable!**

**Posted: February 16, 2015**


	5. Wet

**Admittedly, I kind of forgot about this story and the plans I had for them. Although, I'm going to the amusement park next week and that might help to jumpstart. I think I remember enough to write you this next story. ****Title innuendos aside, THIS "CHAPTER IS COMPLETELY" ****PG****!**** It's just that…no good day at an amusement park is complete without water rides! This "chapter" is two shorter stories combined. You'll see what I mean. Enjoy!**

* * *

Wet (Part 1)

Eating dinner had helped a little to ease Hiccup's queasy stomach. Although, there were several times that he had to fight the urge to keep the food down and not go racing to the nearest restroom. After dinner, Hiccup and Astrid worked together to clean up the picnic table where they had eaten. They threw away their paper plates, folded up the red and white checkered tablecloth, and sealed open containers and bags. Hiccup then returned the cooler and the tablecloth to his car before rejoining Astrid to walk back into the park.

"I probably shouldn't have to say it," Hiccup spoke, "but we should really ride some more…gentle rides for a bit. We did just eat and…yeah…"

Astrid laughed at Hiccup's uneasiness to speak about his moments of weakness. "You mean you don't want to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl again, Babe?"

"Hell. No."

As they walked, Hiccup tried to think of the more mild rides that the amusement park offered. The train was always a good option. It actually had a pretty interesting track that took riders off the site of the amusement park and into the woods and campgrounds that surrounded the park. Then he remembered another mild ride…and he immediately knew that was the one they should ride next. "Come on," he led Astrid. "I know a good ride!"

He led the way to the back of the park close to the wooden roller coaster they had ridden at the start of their day. There it was…the log jammer—guaranteed to get you at least a little wet. It was perfect.

Astrid didn't agree. "I am not interested in getting wet, Hiccup," she warned.

"You won't! Come on. It'll be fun!"

He could tell that Astrid did not necessarily agree with this ride suggestion, but she followed Hiccup anyway. As they approached the station, Hiccup's eyes caught sight of the sign with the words "YOU WILL GET WET ON THIS RIDE" in big capital letters.

Astrid stopped and Hiccup paused to turn back as she cleared her throat. "Hiccup…"

He knew that tone. She believed him even less now. "No, it's fine, Astrid. They just have to put that there so they don't get sued or something," he answered, directing a discreet wink to the ride attendant watching them. The gesture clearly said "Please don't spoil it!" The ride attendant gave a discreet nod back in reply; she wasn't going to say anything…or try to correct Hiccup that the sign was, in fact, true.

Finally, Astrid gave in to Hiccup's pleading. "Fine. Let's go."

Another attendant on the deck of the station directed the couple to an open car. "After you, Milady," Hiccup directed, letting Astrid take the seat in the front. When she was situated, he stepped in and sat behind her.

The car, painted to look like a fresh-cut log, left the station and immediately ascended, shakily, up the first hill. Once up the hill, the track took a few turns, splashing up water into the car as it hit the tube-like sides of the track, before descending down a slight hill.

As the ride settled into "the calm before the storm" section of the track, Astrid turned back to Hiccup. "You said I wouldn't get wet! Newsflash, Hiccup! This ride got me wet!"

Hiccup sat up a little straighter to see her point to some minor water droplets set upon her skirt. "That's nothing. You'll be fine," he laughed.

Having visited this amusement park many times as a young kid, Hiccup was more than familiar with this ride and he knew exactly what was to come. _**Astrid doesn't need to know.**_ The truth was, she would know in seconds as the track weaved around one last bend.

Around the bend, Hiccup could hear the cranking of the belt that would propel the log-car up one last hill. This one, though, would end with a very steep drop. Astrid noticed the hill too as it came into view. "Hiccup…"

All Hiccup could do was smile. This would be fun…and there was no getting out of it. When the log-car reached the top of the hill, the track made one last tight curve to the left. Instinctively, Hiccup pulled himself closer to Astrid as the log-car peaked over the top of the final drop. Momentum sent the log-car down the hill and it picked up speed until it finally hit the bottom, sending a torrent of water to rain over the car and its passengers. Because she sat at the front of the log-car, Astrid took the full brunt of the wave of water, but Hiccup was not spared, especially from the water that shot up from the sides of the log-car.

When the rushing water subsided, Astrid turned back again to Hiccup and he had to force himself not to laugh. She had been completely drenched and now her blonde bangs clung to her face. "Are there any more surprises on this ride?" she asked.

Hiccup knew exactly what she was asking; she had not been expecting that final hill. "Nope. That's it. We're just going to drift slowly back to the station now."

Once at the station, the attendant held the still-drifting log-car so that the two passengers could exit. When Hiccup and Astrid were back out under the still-warm glare of the lowering sun, Astrid rounded upon Hiccup. "'You won't get wet', huh?" she imitated his words while gesturing down to her wet clothes.

"Yeah…" Hiccup answered, slowing the word slightly. "I may have exaggerated that statement a bit," he replied, not sounding sorry at all for his suggestion to ride the log jammer.

"A bit," Astrid's voice went flat and she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's casualness. "Really, Hiccup, I'd finally just gotten dry from earlier!"

Hiccup tried so hard not to laugh at Astrid, but it was funny to see her looking so…drenched. Somehow he managed to keep it under control, but he still received a strong punch from Astrid.

"That's for lying to me about not getting wet," she explained.

Waiting, Hiccup was ready when she pulled him close for a kiss. He ignored the water that dripped from her clothes onto his. No need to ruin such a good moment.

When Astrid pulled back, she finished, "That's for making it fun…and because now you're wet too."

They both shared a laugh before Hiccup suggested that they keep walking in hopes that the remaining sunlight would dry them off before the temperature dropped much lower.

888

Wet (Part 2)

Hiccup had timed it out so that he and Astrid could eat lunch around noontime when the sun was at its highest and the air would be the muggiest. It was still hot after lunch and Hiccup could feel the sweat running down his face. He would definitely be okay with riding a water ride right about now.

As he and Astrid walked back into the park from the picnic pavilions, Hiccup watched a strong wave of water rise up over a fence and drench the spectators on the pathway. He could hear the happy shouts of children who had just taken the full brunt force of the wave and now dripped water. Hiccup remembered the ride that had created the wave. It was the flume; he could remember when it first opened. He'd been a young boy…and very afraid of it—the ride that sounded like rolling thunder.

"It's so hot," Astrid spoke up, using her hands to fan her face as if the motion would actually help.

Without a reply, Hiccup gripped Astrid's hand and led her toward the flume's spectating area. She hadn't see the wave or heard the children's laughter; she'd been more focused on the day's heat_**. Oh, I'll fix that heat problem**_, Astrid, Hiccup thought with a smirk, an expression that Astrid didn't see.

Not telling Astrid of his plans, Hiccup stopped in the spectating area. Astrid's back was to the flume and he stared at it, waiting. The timing had to be just perfect. Around them, kids gathered, jumping and shouting in excitement.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked, narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend's strange behavior.

He tried not to make it obvious that he was watching the flume behind his girlfriend. Behind them, he noticed a car approach the crest of the hill. Dipping down slightly, Hiccup placed a kiss on Astrid's lips and allowed her to deepen it. As they kissed in the flume's spectating area, the car dropped down the hill and sent another wave of water over the fence, cascading down on Hiccup and Astrid.

At the touch of the water, Astrid immediately pulled from Hiccup. She had no idea what had just happened, but she found herself laughing at Hiccup's drenched form. "Okay, what just happened?"

"Watch," Hiccup answered, pointing to the flume.

Hiccup and Astrid were learning forward on the fence when the next wave hit them. "Pretty cool, right?" he asked her when they had walked clear of the spectating area.

Astrid wrung out her drenched shirt. "Well, at least I'm not sweating anymore."

"I know. I'm a genius, aren't I?" Hiccup laughed.

Scoffing, Astrid lightly punched Hiccup's shoulder. "Now, I wouldn't go that far."

"So, we shouldn't have to worry about getting to hot for a little while. Ready to go find something else to ride?" Hiccup asked.

* * *

**Water rides are so much fun, aren't they? I'm going to the amusement park this week for my yearly trip/visit. Maybe I'll find some more motivation to truck through and finish off this little series, no?**

**By the way, before I get the question, the answer is YES. Part 2 of this chapter DOES take place earlier in the day than Part 1. Why did I set the chapter up that way, then? I have no idea. Haha.**

**Thank you all for reading and supporting the Spooked one-shot series!**

**Posted: August 15, 2015**


	6. Golden Ring

**I know it's approaching winter, but…here's another chapter of Spooked! Not many of these stories left, actually. Only two more shorts left in the series. This was never intended to be a long series.**

* * *

Golden Ring

It was starting to get dark and Astrid and Hiccup were just about dry from their water ride. There were only a few rides left that Hiccup definitely wanted to ride with Astrid before their day came to its close. One of those rides, he wanted to make sure to ride before dark and the other was the ride he wanted to finish the night with, after dark when the ride lights were all brightly illuminated.

In the center of the park sat one of the two carousels. This one was a unique attraction because the ride operators added a bit of competition to make the ride more fun. After a few rotations, the riders on the outer horses of the carousel had the opportunity to grab silver rings during each rotation. The one lucky rider to grab the solo golden ring earned instant fame (well…for the moment) and bragging rights (for later). Hiccup had made it his mission to snatch that golden ring and, knowing how competitive Astrid could be, he could already tell that this would be fun.

There was never a long line for the carousel as it sat many riders and the ride duration was not long enough to gather an overly large crowd. "Make sure to choose one of the horses on the outside," Hiccup whispered to Astrid as they waited in the short line.

"Why?" Astrid wondered.

"Just trust me, okay?" Hiccup replied. He didn't want to give too much away because he wanted to see Astrid's face when the competition began.

Hiccup could tell that Astrid was skeptical, but, when their turn came to board the carousel, she did as he asked, taking a seat on the horse directly behind the one Hiccup chose. _**Even better! She'll see me grab for the ring first and not know what I'm doing. **_

When all were boarded, a bell sound and the ride started slowly. Hiccup used this time to loosen his muscles so he could bend over to grab the rings…and not lose his grip on his horse in the process. Every year, he was always a little nervous for the first several rotations. It was always a hot day and he always feared that he would lean over too far and his sweaty hand would slip right off the polished gold pole of the horse. What a story that would be to tell…if he didn't die, of course. Stealing a glance back at Astrid, he noticed her confused expression; she was silently questioning him again.

The bell rang again and Hiccup knew what that meant. It was time to focus on grabbing rings. The carousel attendant extended the metal arm, stocked with rings, and the competition began. Slipping to his right just a little to hang just slightly off the horse, Hiccup extended his arm and grabbed the waiting ring. _**Silver.**_ Of course it was silver; the gold ring would not make an appearance for a couple for rounds.

Briefly, Hiccup chanced a glance back at Astrid. Her expression revealed her thoughts. _**Why didn't you tell me about that?**_Hiccup merely smirked back_**. It's more fun this way!**_ Astrid's expression changed quickly and Hiccup could see that competitive smirk of hers. _**Oh, you're on!**_

Another round yielded another ring. This time, both Astrid and Hiccup grabbed the rings, both silver. The golden ring should be making its appearance soon…and Hiccup would be ready. He would get that golden ring.

The metal arm came into view and Hiccup saw it, the flash of gold catching his eye. _**The golden ring!**_ As he approached the metal arm, Hiccup watched the man directly in front of him miss grabbing the golden ring. _**I've got it!**_ Hiccup reached out and…his hand slipped past the arm and came up empty. _**No! How did I miss that?**_

"Hey, Babe," Astrid taunted from behind Hiccup. Turning around, he saw her brandishing the golden ring upon her finger.

A ride attendant came up to Astrid, asking her name and taking the ring from her. A moment later, the attendant's voice rang out over the carousel loudspeaker. "Congratulations to Astrid for finding the golden ring!"

The carousel took a couple more rotations before the attendant's voice rang over the loudspeaker again, this time asking riders to return all silver rings back to a drop area located beside the retracted metal arm. Hiccup took time to count his rings. Eight rings this time. He'd only missed one rotation…and, of course, that had been the golden ring. Still, Hiccup was proud that Astrid had managed to snag it…especially since she had never ridden this carousel before today.

Once they had exited, Astrid asked Hiccup how many rings he had managed to grab. When she heard that Hiccup had grabbed eight rings, he saw her face cast downwards when she mentioned that she'd only grabbed seven. However, then she realized that she had not been counting the golden ring which the attendant had taken from her.

"I still can't believe I missed grabbing the golden ring," Hiccup admitted. "It was right there and …how did that even happen?"

Astrid stepped forward and kissed Hiccup's lips. "That was fun. Although, beating you in any competition is always fun," she added with a smirk.

"Well, there's one more ride that I definitely want to ride before we head home. However, it's not dark enough yet. In the meantime…how about some greasy fried food?" Hiccup suggested.

"Babe, we just had dinner," Astrid retorted, but Hiccup was persistent.

"I know, Milady, but, you see, this amusement park has the best potato triangles. It just wouldn't be a successful trip without getting some of those." Upon seeing Astrid's skeptical look, Hiccup continued, "Trust me, it's a tradition. The potato triangles come in trays of three. Just eat three of them and see for yourself!"

"Knowing you, you won't drop the subject until I do, so…fine. Lead the way, Hiccup."

Hiccup did just that, leading Astrid to the large food stand located across from the haunted house. As he looked up at the haunted house and listened to its spooky soundtrack, Hiccup thought back to Astrid's moment of weakness earlier that day. He smiled at the remembrance of that brief moment seeing the softer side of his girlfriend.

At the food stand, Hiccup ordered the two trays of potato triangles while Astrid found a table where they could sit. As Hiccup, carrying the two hot trays of potato triangles, walked back to the table, he thought ahead to that final ride. The "last ride of the night" had always been a tradition in the Haddock family. It was always the same and, yet, it was still always amazing. Hiccup could not wait to share that one last tradition with Astrid.

* * *

**So…this chapter was actually inspired by life events from a few years back. This carousel is awesome, by the way! Anyway, in real life, I was Hiccup. I had the opportunity to grab the golden ring and I missed. My dad was actually the one sitting behind me and he grabbed it instead. Oh he bragged to me about it for the rest of the day…so I feel your pain, Hiccup!**

**Also, if anyone noticed the formatting (with the bold, italics, and underlining) in that one paragraph, words that were bolded, italicized, AND underlined reflected Astrid's thoughts and the regular (bold AND italicized) formatted words were Hiccup's thoughts. You're all smart readers, so you probably figured it out already, but that's why the words are like that.**

**Thank you all for reading and supporting the Spooked one-shot series!**

**Posted: December 1, 2015**


	7. Romantic Flight

**Hard to believe it, but this is the last one-shot in the Spooked series! I may write a couple extra one-shots (before and after stories), but I'm not sure. I thought I had ideas for those two extras, but now I don't think so. This might very well be it. It's been a great journey over the course of a couple summers. Weird that I'm finishing this story off in December, one of the coldest months of the year when amusement parks aren't even open, but that's just how the timing fell, I guess.**

* * *

Romantic Flight

_**It's still not quite dark enough!**_ Hiccup observed. He and Astrid had been walking through the park as he stalled for time. As they'd walked, Astrid continued to tease and mock him about missing the golden ring on the carousel. Hiccup merely smiled back, letting Astrid have her moment of glory. He was just glad that she was having a great time.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Astrid asked. Patience was never her virtue. "Not that the park isn't pretty now that the rides are all lit up or anything, but we have just been randomly walking for awhile now."

Hiccup tried to think quickly, stalling a little for time. "Uh…can I interest you in an ice cream cone? Or maybe some cotton candy?"

Astrid raised an eyebrow, silently questioning her boyfriend. "We just ate those potato triangles…which were just as good as you said. Why would we need more food?"

Knowing that he wouldn't be winning (again!) against Astrid, Hiccup sighed. "Okay, fine, you got me. That was a bad excuse. Come on." Grabbing Astrid's hand, Hiccup slowly walked toward the center of the park where the ride he'd saved for last was located.

In the distance, Hiccup could see it, the spinning Ferris Wheel. As a young boy, he'd always love to stare up at it and try to see the top. The effort always gave him a headache, but it was worth it. If Astrid suspected that Hiccup was leading them both toward this ride, she did not voice it. In fact, a silence had fallen between them, but it was comfortable so Hiccup did not speak and break the moment. _**Hopefully, by the time we reach the Ferris Wheel and wait to board, it'll be dark enough,**_ Hiccup silently reasoned.

Arriving to the platform where they would board the Ferris Wheel, Hiccup turned to Astrid. "Riding the Ferris Wheel last has always been a tradition in my family. You ready?"

Astrid smiled and nodded. "Yes, let's do it."

Hiccup led the way up the platform to wait for their turn to board. With this particular Ferris Wheel, the ride operators loaded the Wheel cars all at once, four cars at a time. Once the cars were all loaded, the Wheel would rotate usually about eight times before the ride operators would again stop the Wheel to reload passengers. It was a nice system that allowed riders' experience not to be broken up with a constant need to stop and load passengers. When Hiccup and Astrid arrived, the line was short but long enough that they would need to wait at least one more rotation before boarding. Both Hiccup and Astrid weren't in a hurry, so they were perfectly satisfied with the wait.

A short time later, it was their time to board the Ferris Wheel. Hiccup carefully entered first and then offered his hand to help Astrid aboard (even though he knew she was perfectly capable of boarding on her own). Surprisingly, she placed her hand into Hiccup's and allowed her boyfriend to help her get situated in the seat opposite him.

As the ride operators loaded and reloaded the cars, the Wheel crept along at a stop-and-go pace, but neither Hiccup nor Astrid complained. As the car inched closer to the top, the view below grew to take in more and more of the lit rides in the park.

"Now I understand," Astrid told Hiccup. "Why you spent so much time just walking around the park before coming to this ride. This is beautiful."

"Just wait until we stop at the very top. You can look out over the whole park and it's always an amazing sight."

Astrid smiled. "I look forward to it."

The Wheel started to creep upwards once again and the next time it stopped, Hiccup's and Astrid's car was positioned at the very top. Both Hiccup and Astrid took the moment to observe the park that spread out beneath them. Now that it was fully dark and all the rides were lit, Hiccup and Astrid could just take in the scene, looking out over all the rides that they had ridden over the course of the day. They pointed out some of the memorable rides from earlier in the day and both Hiccup and Astrid took a few pictures with their phone cameras.

As Astrid looked out over the park, Hiccup, unknown to her, grabbed one of her hands. Startled by the unexpected touch, Astrid tore her gaze away from the park and looked back to Hiccup. Shifting to move closer, Hiccup saw Astrid do the same. Their lips met in a kiss just as the Ferris Wheel lurched and began its decent. The kiss was over before their car passed the station platform.

"Well, that crosses a point off of my bucket list. I can officially say that I've 'shared a kiss with my girlfriend at the top of a Ferris Wheel'," Hiccup laughed.

Now that the loading of the Ferris Wheel was complete, the ride operators let the Wheel operate on complete circuits. Down and up, the wind rushed through Hiccup's and Astrid's hairs.

Fishing his Android phone back out of his pocket, Hiccup unlocked the phone and opened the music application. "Only one thing could make this better," he explained to Astrid. "Music for the occasion." He swiped through his music library until he found the one that he sought. He hit the "Play" button and turned up the volume just loud enough for the both of them to hear. The song was a slow instrumental tune.

"What song is this?" Astrid asked. Knowing that her boyfriend was intrigued by video games and soundtracks, she guessed that it was a background track from one of the many games that he had played.

"It's called Romantic Flight. This song is actually from the movie 'How To Train Your Dragon' which is a movie about—"

"You. Are. Such. A nerd," Astrid laughed, cutting off Hiccup before he could explain this movie that he had seen and the song from its soundtrack.

"Well, I do prefer the term 'media expert', but you, Milady, can call me whatever you'd like," Hiccup laughed in reply, fueling the witty banter between himself and his girlfriend.

"Okay fine...Mr. Whatever-You-Like, then," Astrid laughed, teasing Hiccup who replied back with laughter.

All too soon, their time upon the Ferris Wheel came to an end. The ride operators began another rotation of switching out riders, four cars at a time. When it came their time to exit, Hiccup made to leave the car first, but Astrid expertly pushed past her boyfriend and helped him out of the car. Hiccup knew that he should not accept help from his girlfriend, that it might make him look to be weak, but he just smiled and thanked Astrid for her generosity. After all, he was the one with the prosthetic leg anyway.

The amusement park was still open for another hour and a half, but, for Hiccup and Astrid, their day was complete. Hand-in-hand, they walked toward the park exit and parking lot.

"So, Milady, did you have an enjoyable day here at the park?" Hiccup asked, making conversation as they walked.

"I did have a fun day, Babe. This was a great idea," Astrid smiled, replying.

It was a short walk to Hiccup's car. When they reached the car, Hiccup unlocked the doors. Hiccup and Astrid took their places in the driver and passenger seats. As Hiccup pulled out of the parking space and drove slowly toward the exit, Astrid spoke up. "Babe, we should do this again next year."

* * *

**And…that's a wrap. As I said in the opening AN, I thought about doing a prequel and a sequel, but I don't think I'm going to anymore. You see, this little one-shot series is perfect the way it is and I think any additions just wouldn't match in quality to what has already been written. **

**I hope that everyone enjoyed Spooked (and the whole one-shot collection). Thank you and for reading and supporting my stories!**

**Posted: December 31, 2015**


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